“There’s still plenty of freight on the road” - Delegation Visit Strengthens Port Cooperation Between Klaipėda, Lübeck and Hamburg

A joint delegation visit organised by Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft (LHG) and Hafen Hamburg Marketing (HHM) has further deepened port cooperation between Klaipėda, Hamburg and Lübeck. From 18 to 20 March 2026, the programme focused on political discussions, company visits and the German-Lithuanian Maritime Forum.

Around 25 representatives from Lübeck and Hamburg travelled to Lithuania for the occasion. More than 100 international guests from politics, the port industry and logistics attended the forum. Key topics included the expansion of maritime links and transport corridors between Hamburg, Lübeck and Klaipėda, more resilient supply chains in the Baltic Sea region, and additional potential for intermodal transport between Lithuania, the Baltic states, and Central and Southern Europe. The delegation was led by Lübeck’s Mayor Jan Lindenau and Niels Wiecker, Director of Port and Logistics at Hamburg’s Ministry of Economy, Labour and Innovation.

A central highlight of the delegation visit was the German-Lithuanian Maritime Forum, moderated by Marina Basso Michael, Regional Director Europe at HHM. The guiding theme was: “Ports at the Geostrategic Crossroads: Navigating Trade, Security, and Resilience.”

Sebastian Jürgens, Managing Director of Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft, emphasised during the forum: “Quite literally, there is still a great deal of cargo on the road. Germany ranks first among Lithuania’s import partners and second in exports behind Poland. By shifting more of this traffic to ferry and rail, we not only strengthen supply chain resilience but can also reduce CO₂ emissions by around 70 per cent.”

Jürgens also pointed to the growing momentum of Baltic transport flows. There are currently six ferry departures per week between Lübeck and Klaipėda alone. With around 60 weekly intermodal connections, Lübeck serves as a key corridor between Lithuania, the Baltic region, and Central and Southern Europe.

“The visit significantly intensified existing contacts and has given new momentum to the twin-city partnership with Klaipėda,” said Lübeck’s Mayor Jan Lindenau. “It was particularly important that we were able to arrange a return visit to Lübeck at the beginning of April. The next step is to translate this exchange into concrete projects.” He also expressed his appreciation for the consistent investments being made in Klaipėda in infrastructure, sustainable propulsion systems and security. Cooperation, particularly in port security, is set to be further expanded.

“Robust partnerships in the Baltic Sea region are becoming increasingly important from both an economic and geopolitical perspective,” underlined Niels Wiecker of the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Innovation: “Hamburg contributes its global market connectivity, Lübeck its strength as a direct Baltic hub, and both cities their function as hinterland hubs. This is precisely where the strategic added value of this cooperation lies.”

Hendrik Meyn, Executive Board Member of Hafen Hamburg Marketing, added: “We have maintained close ties with Klaipėda and its port since the 1990s, and the port has also been a member of Hafen Hamburg Marketing for the past three years. The forum demonstrated how we intend to further develop these relationships strategically, which will also benefit trade. With a total throughput of 142,000 TEU, direct container traffic between Lithuania and Hamburg not only increased by 15.4 per cent in 2025, but Lithuania has also become Hamburg’s strongest trading partner in the Baltic region.”

In 2025, approximately 39 million tonnes of cargo were handled at the Port of Klaipėda, accounting for around 40 per cent of the total cargo volume of the three Baltic states. Klaipėda is continuing to strengthen its role as a strategic hub in the Baltic region. “We are consistently investing in capacity, resilience and future-oriented projects, and we explicitly invite German partners to join us on this path,” said Algis Latakas, Director General of the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.

In addition to economic and logistical topics, the resilience of critical infrastructure also came further into focus in Klaipėda. According to Latakas, around 56,100 tonnes of military cargo were handled at the port in 2025, representing a doubling compared to the previous year. “This development underlines Klaipėda’s growing strategic importance in the Baltic Sea region and also shows that direct RoRo and ferry connections, such as the link to Lübeck, as well as direct container services to Hamburg, can gain additional relevance in times of crisis,” Latakas added.

The delegation visit has sent a clear signal in favour of closer port cooperation between Klaipėda, Lübeck and Hamburg. It has strengthened political ties, intensified economic exchange along the Baltic axis, and demonstrated that additional cargo flows between Lithuania and Central Europe can be shifted to existing maritime and intermodal structures—“economically viable, logistically more robust, and with clear advantages for the CO₂ balance,” concluded LHG Managing Director Jürgens and HHM Executive Board Member Hendrik Meyn in unison.